The Palace Deep In The Woods
by sardonic-cupcake
Summary: Sleeping beauty with a twist. Where the King happens to fall in love with the sleeping princess' feisty caretaker instead of the Princess. First story (for those who hate Sakura, please don't read this and discourage me with hate reviews)
1. Chapter 1

The man rode his horse full speed through the forest. Several men dressed in black, were chasing him deeper into the forest. In movements which an average human would never be able to catch, the man drew his bow and shot three arrows all at once, striking the three men following him, straight through their heads as they dropped off their horses. Some of the remaining men, pulled back, afraid of being killed like the rest of their fellow partners, unfortunately, the valiant man riding on the stunning black horse fired more arrows, killing them accurately.

The rest of the men chasing him were slightly intimidated. Of course they had heard of the brave King of the infamous Uchiha, who ruled over most of Konoha, with a small area being under the rule of the Hyuuga. They had heard that his arrow never misses his target, that his single glare could make a king tremble in fear. The youngest king in history, who conquered lands with his bravery, skill and intelligence. There was only one man capable of instilling self doubt in this otherwise perfect king, his traitorous brother. If they were not hoping to ally their gang with the legendary Itachi Uchiha, they would never have even dreamt of facing the king in battle.

Their gang was infamous in the land of Fire, for their ruthlessness. But recently had been deteriorating over the years. Hence their wise leader decided to pledge allegiance to Itachi Uchiha to regain some of their lost glory, by presenting him with the head of the brother he hated so much. They should've expected to reach this state, but the false hope of allying with Itachi Uchiha had cruelly blinded them and made them fall.

The gang only had a few members left, the rest were all slayed by King Uchiha. They should've given up, but their once wise leader refused to let them give up, as he and the remaining members continued to chase after the Uchiha. As they were preparing to shoot arrows at him, the man before disappeared into thin air. They paused and looked around for him, but couldn't see even the prints left by his horse. Before they could investigate further, their horses began to behave strangely and abandoned them.

They tried to leave the forest immediately, but all of them dropped dead all of a sudden.

King Sasuke smirked as he slowed his pace. He never realised that there was a place like this deep inside the forest. Thankfully, he noticed the traps and dispelled the genjutsu in time, or he could've ended up like his unfortunate pursuers. A sudden piercing pain brought his attention to his right side where he saw an arrow stuck quite deeply. He cursed under his breath as he realised that it was probably poisoned. He looked around and noticed a castle a few miles ahead, debating whether he should ask for help. A castle shouldn't have been here in the first place. This was the territory dividing the land of the Uchiha and Hyuuga. Since it was almost a war zone, construction was almost impossible, and definitely illegal. He could recuperate here after threatening the castle's inhabitants. Just as he was about to make his way to the castle, he was thrown off his horse, as the horse ran off in the opposite direction. Regretting his momentary surprise, he immediately lunged to attack the new comer.

He drew his katana, and dashed towards the figure in white grimacing with the shooting pain on his side. He pulled out the arrow and clashed with the figure in white. He could tell that the open was highly skilled and was not to be underestimated. But he was an Uchiha. A king at that, he would never admit defeat. He immediately activated his strongest weapon, his Sharingan. He could see the emerald eyes exposed by the white cloth covering most of her face, widen. His speed suddenly, doubled. He tried to put the opponent under a genjutsu, but they broke free before he could attack. He was surprised, but didn't show it. His hands weaving through signs that were difficult to decipher by a normal eye, he suddenly breathed a huge fireball. The attacker dodged with incredible speed, and landed near a tree. They suddenly grabbed hold of the tree, uprooting it and sending it straight at him.

If he was stunned before, his mouth was definitely gaping now. He has never seen an individual with so much strength before. The only time he heard of something like this was about the current ruler of the land of Fire. His eyes narrowed, glinting blood red.

His katana suddenly crackled with blue electricity as he struck at her. He noticed that the opponent was getting tired. He was too, after fighting those bandits, but he decided to give his all. He suddenly became much faster as he charged towards the figure. The white robed ninja, anticipated his movements, as they shifted their stance towards him, prepared to punch him. He knew it was over for him once those deceptively small fists struck him, so he flashed, suddenly disappearing and reappearing behind them. He slashed at the white cloaked figure.

The white cloak was shed, as the ninja leapt forward, twisted their body and aimed a kick at the Uchiha. The Uchiha skilfully dodged, but immediately dropped to the ground, holding his side. The cloak and mask was off, making Sasuke Uchiha realise that the opponent he was battling fiercely, was actually a woman. A woman with _pink_ hair. In his surprise, he almost forgot about the pain that rendered him immobilised. The pinkette stared at him curiously, wondering why he was on the floor when she missed.

She squatted next to him and realised that he was poisoned. She was prepared to throw him out, for the animals to feed on his corpse, when her blonde best friend came running towards her squealing like the pig she was. The blonde panted as she spoke, "Sakura! You won't believe it! King Sasuke was seen on the outskirts of this forest. Imagine, him riding on a horse and passing by a breathtakingly beautiful blonde, as he whisks her away to be a queen."

Sakura snorts at her best friend's moronic delusions and retorts, "Oh yeah? Please tell me what he looks like, so that I can steer clear away from him. Or better still, I could lead you to him so that he can get rid of one of my problems."

Ino sighed dreamily, "I've seen him only once on one of my trips outside the forest. I can only describe him as one of the most beautiful people in the world. With silky black hair, chiselled features and smouldering black eyes, he's the very image of prince Charming."

Sakura frowned, "Is there something special about that. He sounds pretty common if you ask me." Ino gaped and shrieked, "Oh YEAH?! Show me! Find one man who looks like that!" Sakura shrugged and nodded towards the unconscious intruder laying on the grass.

Ino was about to wave off Sakura, when she saw the man and froze. Suddenly letting out the most terrifying scream as she throttled Sakura, "You IDIOT! That's King Sasuke! He could get us all executed, what did you do to this beautiful man?!" Sakura winced at her volume and explained, "He was an intruder, so I took him out. Besides, he was already poisoned. There's no way he could survive the next hour if he doesn't get the antidote."

Ino stared at her friend with shock, "Save him you idiot! You could start war if he dies!" Sakura sighs as she stretches her hand unwillingly towards the man and begins examining him. Ino runs to call Naruto to help. Sakura pulls his shirt up as he begins extracting some poison using chakra and deposits it in a vial. She sniffs the poison, and immediately identifies it as a common lethal poison. She removes the antidote to it, something which is almost as common as the poison, and injects it. His frowning brows, slowly relax as the effects of the poison begin to fade. She then begins to heal the open wound.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly snap open as he grabs her hands. He glares at her and asks, "Who are you? Who sent you?"

Sakura replies in an even, almost bored tone, "Who I am doesn't matter. Who you are, does. I'm just saving my home by saving you." He stares at her, debating whether she's lying or not. She looks honest enough, and so he lets go of her hands as she continues to patch up his skin with her chakra. Once she's done, she removes her hands and lets him fix his shirt as she walks away.

He stands and follows her. She looks back and asks, "Why are you following me?"

He answers in a cold tone, "Take me to your superior." She frowns and asks, "Why? What's the matter?" Sasuke glares at her and asks, "You dare question this king? It's an order." She frowns as she continues walking, cursing this arrogant idiot in her head. Big deal, she thinks.

Inside the castle, she immediately spots Mr. Inoichi and tells him, "Sir, someone has requested to meet with you." He smiles when he sees his adopted daughter, but immediately gapes when he sees the person following her. He immediately bows and says, "Your Highness, Inoichi Yamanaka, caretaker of this castle, humbly greets you." Sasuke raises an eyebrow and says, "I never expected to see the Hyuuga's council man here. I thought construction was restricted here?" Inoichi sweats profusely at his question, "Your Highness, please allow me to present to you the letter written by King Hyuuga, should anyone question the status of this palace."

Sasuke nods impassively and scans the document which Inoichi hands over him. Sakura studies the proud man who rules over most of Konoha with an iron hand, and finds herself disappointed. She thought he would be more humble due to his insane popularity with the people. Then again, they probably fear and respect him more than they like him.

Sasuke finishes reading the document, "I suppose King Hyuuga does have a point when he mentions that the place was built before the agreement. Doesn't this mean that the place is neutral territory?" Inoichi gulps and nods. Sasuke raises his head, "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if this King rests his weary bones in this scenic place?" Inoichi looks a bit conflicted. This time Sakura answers, "Sure, your Highness. The Hyuuga would be pleased to accommodate you." Sasuke raises an eyebrow at her statement. What she implied was that the land was neutral, but the castle was not, and if Sasuke wished to stay there, he could as a guest of the palace. If he chose to argue with her over her seemingly harmless statement, he would seem petty.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he stared at the brave, skilled and apparently intelligent girl, who returned his stare, refusing to back down. But the amusement on his face immediately vanished as he said, "It would be my pleasure." Sakura was surprised when he didn't argue with her. She was fully prepared to fight him verbally when he gave up. Retreat to advance, she thought. This King definitely could not be taken lightly. He was as sly and ruthless as he was powerful.

Inoichi sighed at the interaction between the King and his foster daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

Inoichi was once a powerful court official, known for his ability to be able to read minds and his ability to manipulate people. Now he was a babysitter for three loud and unruly kids including his daughter. The sweet and kind princess, was deep in slumber, victim to an evil plot. The king ordered one of his most trusted councilmen, Inoichi Yamanaka and his family to care for the princess while she slept.

There was a seal which put her into a coma for many years. They did not know how to undo the seal, but after his foster daughter studied her condition for many years, she found a way to remove the seal. The seal was placed on her mind, so if they were able to make her experience strong emotion, she would be able to break the seal on her own.

His daughter, Ino, suggested that if they found someone who loved her and was able to show her their love, she might be able to overcome the curse. They discussed with the King's advisor and the King immediately issued a degree stating that he would grant Princess Hinata's hand in marriage to the person who managed to wake her.

The King's advisor, Shikaku Nara, asked them to put an impossibly strong genjutsu over the palace that was built for her, ensuring that only the strongest would be able to enter the palace. He then appointed the kingdom's best and youngest knight, Uzumaki Naruto, as the protector of Princess Hinata.

After a person managed to dispel the genjutsu, they then would have to face the young knight and he would let them pass if he deemed them worthy.

This was the reason that Princess Hinata was still asleep. Only a handful of people managed to dispel the genjutsu, and those who did, never made it past Naruto. For someone deemed as the smartest man on the continent, his friend sure made some questionable suggestions.

He was not surprised that King Uchiha made it past the genjutsu, and he had told them to go easier on the next person who dispels the genjutsu. He explained to the Uchiha the purpose of the castle and the heavy security, and asked the Uchiha politely if he had come to see the Princess. The King responded stoically, "Why would I interfere with the Hyuugas? The only reason I'm here is because your medic saved me, and I need to rest before resuming my journey.

Inoichi sighed, knowing better than to expect the stoic Uchiha to do something remotely romantic. He asked Naruto to guide the King to the best room in the palace, which turned out to be a horrible decision since the blond couldn't help but pick fights with the King. He wished his daughter could help, but she was currently flirting with the Uchiha shamelessly and by the look of disdain on the King's face, he didn't approve of it.

So he turned to his only reliable daughter, Sakura, and asked her to escort the King to his sleeping quarters. The King followed the petite pinkette down the long hallways.

King Sasuke gazed at the woman curiously, wondering how a small girl like her with pink hair managed to cause so much destruction with her dainty hands. He asked her, "What is your name?" She answered curtly, "Sakura Haruno, your highness." He nodded and they fell back into a silence which was neither awkward nor too comfortable.

She suddenly opened majestic doors to their right and signalled him to enter. He entered and nodded, satisfied with the room. It wasn't as nearly as big as his room back in his palace, but it was sufficient.

She asked, "Would you like to see the princess, your highness?"

He shook his head and answered, "That's not why I'm here."

He noticed her eyes narrow and sensed a tiny amount of hostility from the pinkette. Feeling a bit amused, he asked, "Did you really not know who I am when we sparred?"

The hostility in the air between them increased slightly, as she replied a bit coldly, "No, your highness. I have never been outside the palace and hence did not recognize you."

Sasuke nodded and said, "You're dismissed."

He almost smirked when he saw her back stiffen and fists clench at her sides. She bowed slightly and walked out, closing the door behind her. He smirked at his discovery, thinking that this place might not have been as uninteresting as he thought it would be.

After, sharing a meal with them, King Uchiha realised a few things. For some reason, the knight and healer were hostile towards him while the blonde female was sickeningly attracted to him. He hated women who threw themselves at him, so the pinkette was rather refreshing with her hostility towards him. He wondered if it was because he didn't even attempt to wake the princess. He decided that he didn't care.

The irritating blond boy pestered him to compare strength, and he finally gave in and sparred with the noisy blond. It was then that he realised he had much to learn. Naruto was extremely strong and sly. It proved to be very difficult to defeat him and the match ended in a tie.

Ino sighed dreamily and said to her best friend and rival, "King Sasuke is so powerful, he's on par with Naruto. Isn't that unbelievable? A guy who's as strong as Naruto, extremely good looking, over 3 times richer than the Hyuuga…. Don't fight me, Sakura. He's mine." Sakura said in a monotone, "Whatever. You can have him. The stick up his ass is too deep in."

Ino looked enraged, "It's arrogance, not a stick-up-his-ass. And it's hot.." Sakura sighed, "Give up, pig. He's probably got a huge harem back in his palace." Ino smirked, "That's the thing, Sak. He's never been seen with a woman. There are rumours that he's either asexual or gay. But I don't believe in that rubbish."

Sakura sighed at her friend's antics, "What about the cute knight you met at the bar? I thought you had your eyes on him." Ino looked at her as if she was shocked by her friend's stupidity, "Oh Sakura… Who says you can only have your sight on one person? We have two eyes for a reason, you know. Some healer you are.."

Ino glanced at the two sparring men and suddenly squealed, "King Sasuke's coming this way!"


End file.
